ads against the ceiling, and pressing
upward by making their long bodies very stiff and straight. Of course
they did not all do it at once, or the roof would have floated off
into the sky; on the other hand, they relieved each other a few at a
time, with admirable precision and with no disorder whatever, as if
they had had long drill in this complicated manoeuvre.

The caterpillars who had been relieved seemed to be very much relieved
indeed; they stretched out their long, cramped bodies luxuriously, and
went lumbering off together by twos and threes, with their hands in
their pockets. Sara started to follow a bristly comma-caterpillar who
went off alone, but he was so big that she just couldn't make up her
mind so do it. She had once fed one for three weeks in a fruit jar,
and she knew that kind couldn't hurt her--still-- She felt she was
just compelled to talk to somebody; but she believed she would rather
try the Butterfly-Officer who was on duty at the entrance. He looked
bored and supercilious, but his wings were beautiful.

She drew near after a while and said, as pleasantly as she could,

"Good-morning!"

"Yes," said the officer, without looking around.

Sara was a little taken aback, but he looked so conceited, as he stood
there coiling and uncoiling his watch-spring tongue, that she suddenly
felt herself growing quite provoked.

"That isn't the right answer," she said.

The Butterfly-Officer turned his lazy eyes and looked her over for
some time without speaking.

"You said it was a good morning, didn't you?"

"Yes."

"And I agreed, didn't I?"

"Yes," said Sara.

"Well, then," said the Butterfly-Officer, turning away and beginning
to coil and uncoil his spring.

This was not a very promising beginning. Sara would never learn
anything at this rate. She must be more direct.

"Whose palace is this?" she asked.

"The Monarch's."

"Might--might I go in?"

"Certainly."

What a baffling person! He agreed to anything, apparently, and yet one
never learned anything. Sara wandered past him, presently, quite
subdued by his elegant scorn.

She strayed on into the palace. She was speechless with
admiration--even if there had been anybody to talk to. There were
numbers of courtiers and ladies-in-waiting about, but nobody seemed in
the least surprised to see her, and they all seemed too languid to
talk. Sara heard them exchange a word occasionally, but for the most
part they simply stood about, fann